Emblems
by HEW
Summary: After Ouroboros, Harper wonders how much he still shares with Trance. And goes about finding out in true, goofball Harper style!
1. Chapter 1

_Set during Be All My Sins Remembered (2.14), while they were camped out on the Maru._

"I never asked you, Mr. Harper…why that tattoo?" Dylan inquired thoughtfully.

"Hmmm?" responded Harper, not really paying attention. "What's that boss?"

"Your tattoo – the yin/yang symbol. Doesn't really seem like your style somehow. What made you choose it? Something to do with your days on Earth?"

"Oh that. Nah. It was Trance's idea actually. Something about accepting the good along with the bad and balance or something. She thought it'd be good for me. Actually, what she said was that it sounded like 'fun.' How being poked with a needle for a prolonged period of time was supposed to be fun, I don't know. But that's Trance for you…well, that WAS Trance, back when 'fun' was a part of her vocabulary," he replied, sounding bitter towards the end.

"You got your tattoo with Trance?" Dylan asked surprised.

"Yeah, that was back before your time," Harper responded. "Beka dropped us off at Seneschal Drift for a couple days while she went to deal with some creditors. We got a little bored after the first day so Trance got…creative. Actually, considering it was Trance, I was lucky I got away with just this!" Harper smiled.

"So, that sun Trance had on her shoulder…"

"Yep, we got'em together. Trance said they'd be 'an emblem of our friendship' whatever that was supposed to mean." Harper frowned slightly and shook his head a little. The memory obviously made him uncomfortable. "So what about you boss? Any butterflies inked in places unseen?" he asked with a smirk.

Dylan could tell a plea to change the subject when he heard it. "Nope, but I've got a couple of scars with fascinating stories…"

oOo

Later, Harper watched Trance from behind, her deep red dreads swinging slightly, as they walked down the corridor towards their separate destinations on the Andromeda. So much about Trance had changed, that Harper hadn't actually given a second thought to her tattoo, but now he began to wonder. Was it possible? Might she actually still have it? They were supposed to be permanent, but then, so was your skin color. For that matter, so was your death!

Harper thought of the time Gerentex had shot her, back when they first met Dylan. He wasn't sure which hurt more, when he thought he'd lost her then, or now when she was still here but he seemed to have lost everything that had made them close in the first place. As much as he hated to admit it, their mutual tattoos had meant a lot to him, one more thing they had shared just between the two of them. Now he wasn't sure he shared anything with Trance anymore.

He was slowly getting used to this new Trance, learning to trust her, but he was lonely for their old camaraderie. He'd been too intimidated by this sterner, older Trance to get to know her, too afraid to find out if everything he had loved in _his_ Trance really was gone beyond all recall. But this might be the way to find out – if she'd kept the tattoo – well, that would _mean_ something. There was no way he could just _ask_ her about it – they still hardly talked about more than work – and what if she didn't even remember? He didn't think he could take an answer that blunt. So how could he find out?

_If only she didn't have so much darn hair in the way_, he thought, exasperated. And the part of Harper's brain labeled "Schemes R Us" shifted into overdrive.


	2. Chapter 2

He thought he'd attempt a "subtle" approach first. Maybe without all that hair hanging down, he could get a glimpse of her shoulder – enough to confirm the presence or absence of her tat. A little tinkering with the environmental controls might be just the thing…

It wasn't long before an annoyed and sweaty Beka, pared down to a tank top and shorts, hunted him down. "Harper, what the heck is going on with the temperature?! I'm roasting alive here!" she said with an accusatory glare.

"Don't know what you're talkin' 'bout Boss! I'm perfectly comfortable!" he replied as a drop of sweat rolled off the tip of his nose.

Andromeda's hologram melted out of the wall to announce, "Beka is correct, Harper. I am reading a 32 degree increase in temperature above my standard setting. Of course, I remain unaffected by this anomaly but it is a temperature which I believe most carbon based life forms would find uncomfortable."

Beka gave him a pointed stare. "Thanks for the back up," he muttered. Before he could get another excuse out, Dylan stormed in as well, asking pretty much the same thing Beka had, only louder.

This wasn't quite the goal Harper had had in mind with his little experiment, but he thought he saw his luck turning as, just at that moment, Trance walked by the open bay door.

"Hey Trance!" he called out to her. "What about you? These guys are trying to tell me it's too hot…you know, if you're uncomfortable too, maybe Beka could help you pin up all that hair or something…" he trailed off lamely.

Trance entered the room looking decidedly un-sweaty. "Oh no, I'm quite at ease with the temperature!" she answered with a serene smile. "In fact, I find it quite invigorating!"

"FIX IT!" yelled both Beka and Dylan, turning to leave as grouchily as they came. Trance made to leave as well while Harper just shook his head muttering, "…stupid idea anyway…"


	3. Chapter 3

"Harper, what are you doing?" Andromeda's holographic avatar did not look amused (which was nothing out of the usual, actually).

"…nothing…much…" Harper evaded.

"But Harper, if you continue with your current…repairs… the sprinkler system in Hydroponics-"

"I know what I'm doing, Andromeda, thank you very much! Now, would you kindly butt out?!"

"Fine," came the curt reply, as she instantly disappeared.

Harper was very aware that increasing the sensitivity of the temperature sensors for the fire suppression system in Hydroponics would cause it to be set off by the higher temperature of Trance's body. Trance only seemed to have the one outfit. Harper figured if that one outfit became un-wearable for some reason, such as being soaked, she'd have to put on some of her older clothes, which just so happened to expose her tattoo.

Maybe not his best plan ever, maybe not the most sensitive to his friend, but after long, looong hours of repairs, not to mention being a little freaked out by Trance during the recent Bokar incident, Harper wasn't exactly on the top of his game.

oOo

"MISTER! Harper!" Dylan's voice boomed out of the intercom, startling Harper awake from his unintentional nap draped over the console.

"Boss? What's wrong now?" he asked, panicked.

"Why don't you come down to Hydroponics and see for yourself?" Dylan replied, his tone dangerous.

"Oh, crap…" Harper muttered under his breath as he began jogging towards the anticipated disaster.

Upon arriving in Hydroponics, Harper's jaw dropped open to see water torrenting from the ceiling, as several inches of water sloshed around his feet.

"Oh, CRAP!" he reiterated to no one in particular.

"Harper?" He peered through the downpour to see Trance's outline. "I don't know what happened! All I did was walk in the room and water started coming down like crazy!"

Harper was surprised to realize that, without being able to see her clearly, Trance sounded just as she did when she was…younger. He winced as his conscience poked him with the guilt stick.

"Yeah, sorry about this, Trance! I was just tinkering around a little and fell asleep before I finished what I was doing. I'll fix it ASAP!"

Harper turned to the panel on the wall and jacked in, making the necessary adjustments as quickly as he could. Upon returning to the real, no-longer-raining-buckets-of-water world, he looked for Trance, hoping to salvage the situation with the suggestion of changing her water logged attire for something else. He was hopeful that, even though things hadn't gone quite as he'd planned, they still might work out in his favor. Therefore he was duly shocked and dismayed when he spotted Trance behind some of the taller plants, a strange glow and a great deal of steam emanating from her nearly perfectly dry person.

Trance stepped out and smiled at Harper. "No harm done to me!" she said, cheerily. "Hydroponics, however, is another matter." She sloshed out of the room as one of Andromeda's utility bots entered, handing Harper a mop.

Harper just groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

Rommie entered Machine Shop 17 warily. She knew that a sleep-deprived Harper hopped up on Sparky Cola with a nano-welder in his hands should not be taken by surprise. Harper was bent over his work bench, goggles down, intently focused on something only he could see, amidst a cloud of smoke. Rommie stepped forward and opened her mouth to announce her presence when Harper started talking…to himself.

"Almost ready now! I can't believe I didn't think of this before! I am a freaking genius!" Rommie rolled her eyes and took another step towards him when he broke into a long, manic laugh. Rommie froze, then slowly began backing away. Andromeda's holographic avatar appeared beside her once she was safely out in the corridor.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be finding out what Harper is working on so obsessively!" she demanded.

"I don't think so," Rommie answered. "Whatever he's up to this time…I don't think I want to know about it!"

"Coward," sniffed the hologram. But after another glance at Harper, she blinked out just as quickly.

oOoOoOo

The next morning, Harper was sporting his rarely worn, sleeveless shirt and red-rimmed eyes as he made a bee-line for Trance in the officer's mess. "Mornin' Trance!" he chittered as he slid into the seat next to her, making sure that his arm bearing the yin-yang tattoo, was facing her. "How ya doin' today? Whatcha havin' this morning? I thought the eggs looked a little funny this morning. Little off color. Like, you remember those purple eggs we had once? Of course you had to try them 'cause they were purple, haha! Then we found out people only bought them to feed to their pets! Where was that? Was that on Hastings Drift?" Here he paused to butter his toast and glanced at Trance.

If Trance was startled by Harper's unusual outburst she didn't show it. She took him in calmly and asked, "Harper, just how much Sparky have you been drinking? And no, it was Seneschal Drift." She smiled at him.

"Really? Wow, you have a good memory! You know, I…" As Harper began gesticulating, the butter knife still in hand, he accidentally smeared butter on Trance's dreads.

"Oh gosh, I am so sorry, Trance, here let me get that for you!" As Harper quickly wiped the butter away, he surreptitiously drew out a tiny syringe and injected its contents into her hair.

"There, all better! Well, nice chattin' with ya Trance! Gotta get to work!" Harper grinned as he beat a hasty retreat.

"Harper!" Trance called after him.

"Yeees?" Harper turned around slowly, wearing an expression of exaggerated innocence. Which should have been enough to make anyone nervous.

"Maybe you should cut back on the Sparky, okay?" Trance advised with some concern.

"Maybe you're right! Well…see ya!" Harper responded with evident relief. He had to slap a hand over his mouth to suppress a punch drunk giggle as he made his way along the corridor.


	5. Chapter 5

Harper knew he was in trouble. For such a freaking super genius, his plans hadn't been working out very well lately. And now his latest attempt was backfiring…badly. Very badly. He mentally filed away a note to look up "subtle" in the dictionary as he apparently hadn't mastered that concept at all. It was supposed to be so simple, so easy, so quick. One little push of a button and the re-engineered hair nanos he'd copied from Beka would let him gently sweep Trance's tumble of red locks out of the way from across the room, exposing her shoulder, and then lay back in place without anyone being the wiser. Except him – he would finally know if Trance still had her tattoo, her "emblem of their friendship" – and he would know that this Trance was really still _his_ Trance, his best friend, his not-so-purple-anymore princess. Instead…

After breakfast, Trance and Beka had headed to duty on the bridge. Harper didn't really have any particular reason to be there but he pretended something needed adjusting – a lie close enough to the truth. He figured now was as good a time as any for his little experiment. After giving everyone a few minutes to settle into their routines, Harper pressed his remote to activate the nanos and…nothing. No movement, no change in the hair. Harper couldn't understand it. His nanos were perfect replicas of the one's Beka's father had created for her. Making them work by remote had been a little trickier work, but nothing he couldn't handle.

Frustrated, Harper tried activating them again. At first one little tendril started to sway back and forth, gradually gaining momentum. Harper thought he was almost there till a few more strands started swinging, all in different directions. Harper tried to synchronize their movement but before he knew it, all of Trance's hair seemed to come to life, springing straight out and up, her dreads flinging around like Medusa's snakes! Harper quickly punched at his remote, trying to deactivate the nanos before anyone noticed, but of course, it was only seconds before…

"Trance? Are you all right?" Beka asked with concern, even as she began backing away. Trance's usual stoic demeanor morphed into a look of child-like bewilderment as she swatted at her out of control hair, too surprised to even answer Beka at first. Of all the things she may have been prepared for in this universe, this had certainly never entered her realm of possibility.

Then of course, Dylan joined the party. "Trance?! What on earth…" Dylan trailed off as he entered the bridge, rushing to Trance's side to help bring her dancing hair back under the laws of gravity. "Ouch!" A small shock to his fingers was his reward and he jumped back sharply.

"Aw, jeez, Boss, I'm sorry…" the words were out of Harper's mouth before his survival instinct could prevent this admission of guilt. Harper's face automatically assumed its "Whoops-I-screwed-up-again-but-I'm-cute-and-funny- so-please-don't-kill-me" face and was confronted by the usual "angry-disappointed-and-exasperated-parent" expressions of Beka and Dylan. But looking at Trance, Harper was surprised to see her eyes widen with hurt and shock as she realized that _he_ had done this to her, and deliberately. Tears rimming her eyes, she turned and ran from the bridge.

"Trance, wait!" Harper called after her. He moved to follow her but was blocked by a stony eyed Beka. "What did you do?" she asked in a quiet voice more threatening than any of Dylan's shouting. "I, um, maybe just sort of, experimented with some of your hair nanos on Trance?" he confessed. "But, it…it wasn't supposed to do that! I don't understand what went wrong!"

The image of Andromeda's A.I. on the screen answered his mystery. "Harper, Trance's hair isn't actually…hair. Her entire body is composed of the same substance…although, I cannot quite identify what that substance is. Therefore, if your nanos were designed to interact with the keratin filaments you humans produce, perhaps it should not be surprising that they did not behave as you intended."

Harper closed his eyes and wearily shook his head as he realized just how huge of an error he had made, in more ways than one. "I am so _stupid_," he complained.

"Sometimes, Seamus, you really are," Beka answered him with a little more compassion. "You go make this right. Not just her…hair. But this whole thing with you and Trance. You've always been great at fixing things. You can fix this too."

Harper looked up at her with a new hope in his eyes. "Right, Boss. Thanks." And he ran off the bridge in search of his friend.


End file.
